Firefighters declared a major incident on Thursday as a blaze on Mousehold Heath sent thick smoke across Norwich, stretching Norfolk's fire service during a surge of emergencies across the county.
Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service issued the alert on Thursday afternoon, warning that the volume of calls was putting significant pressure on available resources. The service said the Mousehold Heath fire, near Gurney Road, was brought under control by 7.10pm, although crews remained at the scene to damp down the area and check for hotspots. People should avoid the area to allow firefighters to work safely, the service said, and residents were urged to call 999 only in a genuine emergency.
